Air-compressor.



W. WRIGHT.

AIR COMPRESSOR. ArPLIoATIon rILED AUG, a. 1909. Y

Patented July 5, 1910.

53M y I arbo/mm;

W. WRIGHT.

AIR COMPRESSOR,

APPLIoATIoI Hmm luw'. s. 1909.

Patented July 5, 1910.

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AIR COMPRESSOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3,. 19081.

' Patented July 5, 1910.

"/l//l/ZIM Simmer, 4 Til/iam Wr/:gbr l i i amm-g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM WRIGHT, OFADAMSVILLE, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO MARION F. WEBB AND ONE-THIRD T0 EDWARD WALD, BOTH OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAIMA.

AIR-COMPRESSOR.

To all whom it 'may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Adamsville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for compressing atmospheric air to be utilized for the purpose of driving machinery of various kinds and for all other purposes for which compressed air is employed; and it has for its object to produce a machine comprising a plurality of cylinders arranged in series adjacent to a circular track, said cylinders being equipped with air compressing pistons adapted to be operated through the medium of levers actuated by the gravity of a roller traveling upon the track.

Further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the construction and operation of this class of devices.

With these and other ends in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction, novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention; it being however understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of an air compressing device, constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view on a larger scale showing one of the compressing cylinders and related parts. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the compressing cylinders and related parts. Fig. 4: is a horizontal sectional view taken through one of the compressing cylinders. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the actuating levers. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view of one of the valved air inlets. Fig. 7 is a sectional detail view of one of the valved discharge ports. Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the plane of the line 8 8 in Fig. 1. Fi 9 is a vertical sectional view taken ongitudinally through one of the cylinders.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 3, 1909.

. Patented July 5, 1910.

serial No. 511,029.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

A suitable base A supports a circular track B which surrounds a plurality of air compressing cylinders C-C, the latter being arranged and suitably supported within and adjacent to the track, preferably at equal distances apart, and at equal distances from thelatter; said cylinders being disposed with their aXes approximately at right angles to the diameter of the track.

The two heads 9 of each cylinder are each provided with a bearing 10 for a tubular rod 11 carrying a piston 12; additional piston rods 13 carrying pistons 14: are guided through the tubular piston rods 11. Each cylinder is provided in the lower side thereof with a valved inlet port 15 disposed midway between its ends; additional inlet ports 16 are disposed adjacent to the ends of each cylinder; and inlet ports 17 are disposed about midway between the ports 16 and the central port 15; the construction of said valved ports will be hereinafter described. Valved discharge ports 19 are disposed upon the upper parts of the cylindrical casings midway between the ends of the latter; additional discharge ports 19 are arranged adjacent to each end of each cylinder; and discharge ports 20 are arranged intermediate the ports 19 and the central discharge ports 18 of each cylinder aswill best appear by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings. Conducting pipes or tubes 21 connect the discharge ports of each cylinder with a centrally disposed reservoir or storage tank D.

Each of the inlet ports comprises a casing 22 having a seat 23 for a spring pressed valve 24 which opens in the direction of the cylinder upon which the casing 22 is suitably mounted, as will be best seen vby reference to Fig. 6; in like manner each outlet port comprises a casing 25 suitably mounted upon the respective cylinders and having a seat 26 for a spring-pressed valve 27 opening from the cylinder in the direction of the storage tank D as will be best seen in Fig. 7. It is obvious that valves operated by gravity or by mechanical means other than springs may be substituted for the spring-pressed valves herein shown, such substitution being within the range of ordinary mechanical skill.

Each of the tubular piston rods 11 of each cylinder is provided with a cross head 28,

and each of the rods i`s`likewise equipped with a cross yhead 29,;bearings 30 `for ,the piston'rodsw 13 have been* shown mounted upon the base at a suitable distance from the heads of each/cylinder for the pure pose of guiding thepiston rods and lessening of the device.

the Vvibration `resultant from thei operation Rock shafts 31 are supportedinsuitable bearin s 32 adjacent to each side of each of the cy inders; said 'rock shafts being disposed at right'angles to theaxes ofthe cyl= L inders,'midway between the ends ofthe latter, and radially with reference to the circularV track B; each offtheseV rock shafts is provided with arms orcranks 33 and 34 extending in diametrically opposite directions,

and saidarms or cranks will for convenience be referred to as the upwardly anddownwardly extending'cranks designated respectively 33 and 34. Links 35 connect each of the cranks 33 and 34 with the lcross head 28y of oneV of the tubular piston rods; and

,.1inks36 in like manner connect each of the crank arms 33 and`34 with the cross head 29 ofV oney of the piston rods 13, connection being in this manner established between Ythe rock shafts 31 adjacent tothe' sides of they cylinder to insure uniformity of action.

Supported in suitable bearings and extendingv transversely beneath each cylinder is a rock shaft R extending in the direction g track aV lever L having Yarms of equal length shaft R to the rock shafts 31 when therock shaft R is oscillated. The storage tank or Y e reservoir D ispr'ovide'd with an axially ydish 45' posed upwardly extending discharge pipe 39 afording a bearingjfor a hub 40 having a plurality of radially extending arms or spokes 41, the numberk of which is preferably one less than the number of cylinders arranged in circumferential series adjacent to theV track. Suitably hitched'to and connectedwith each ofk thespokes or sweeps 41 Y is a gravity roller 42 traveling upon the track B and overlapping the latter sufficiently to engage the shoes 37 connected with the levers L; the arcuate facesof said shoes being so formed that when one of the shoes is depressed, the'other shoe shall be elevated Y f to such an extent as to lie in the path of the Vrollers traveling' upon the track. It Will thus' be'seen that each of the gravity rollers will impart to4 each lever traversed thereby a rocking movement whereby the rock shaft connected therewith is oscillated to and fro.

'From theV foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed the operation andadvantages of this invention will be readily understood. The n umber of the cylinders C with the levers L adjacent thereto and that of the roller carrying spokes or sweeps'being unequal,or varying by one, it follows that one of the levers will at all times be engaged by one of the rollers, and that the several levers will be successively engaged by each roller as it traverses the track,'no two levers being at the same time in precisely the same Vosition.1 By the oscillatory movement o the rock shafts R and 31, the piston carrying rods will be actuated by the intermediate kmechanism, the tubular rods 11 and the rods 13 being actuated'in opposite directions. Thus, when air is admitted through the ports 15 and 16 into the spaces between the pistons 12 and the" heads of the cylinders and into the spaces intermediate the pistons 14, air will be expelled through the ports in the direction of the storage tank or reser- Voir while, when the movement of the piston carrying rods is reversed, air will be admitted through the ports 17 into the spaces intermediate the pistons 12 and 14 while it will be expelled from the spaces intermediate the pistons 14 and from the spaces bes tween theV pistons 12 and theheads of the cylinders, through the ports 18 and 19 in the direction of the storage tank.

The hub carrying the sweeps or spokes 41 may be driven from any suitable source of power such as a gasolene engine supported upon the base A as indicated at E in Fig. 1 of the drawings; motion being transmitted from said engine to the hub through the medium of a belt, band or link belt or through intermediate gearing of any description. l

By the means herein described atmospheric air may be quickly and edectively compressed to be subsequently utilized for the purpose of driving machinery 'or for other purposes for which compressed air is usually employed.

Y Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- Y 1. In an air compressing device, a storage tank or reservoir, a plurality of air compressing cylinders arranged in circumferential series around the tank, said cylinders being disposed at equal distances vapart and with their axes at right angles to linesradiating from the tank, pairs of oppositely movable pistons in each cylinder, and means for continuously actuating the pistons of each cylinder in succession. e

2'. In an air compressing device, a centrally disposed receiving tank, air compressing cylinders disposed in seriesY at equal distances apart circum'ferentially around the tank, oppositely movable pairs of pistons in each cylinder, air inlet and outlet ports upon the cylinders, the latterl ports `being con-v nected with the receiving tank, and means for continuously actuating the pairs of pistons of each cylinder in succession.

3. In an air compressing device, a centrally disposed receiving tank, a plurality of compressing cylinders arranged in circumferential series around the tank, oppositely movable pairs of pistons in each cylinder, valved inlet ports upon the lower side of each cylinder, valved outlet ports upon the upper side of each cylinder, pipes connecting the outlet ports with the receiving tank, and means for continuously actuating the pistons of each cylinder in succession.

4. In an air compressing device, a circular track, a storage tank disposed centrally of the track, a cylinder supported intermediate the track and the tank approximately at right angles to the radius o-f the track, tubular piston carrying rods guided through the heads of the cylinder, piston carrying rods guided through the tubular rods, cross heads upon eac-h of the piston carrying rods, rock shafts supported adjacent to the cylinder, radially with reference to the track, pairs of cranks upon said rock shafts, links connecting the cranks with the cross heads, an auxiliary rock shaft extending transversely beneath the cylinder, means for transmitting oscillatory motion from said auxiliary rock shaft to the rock shafts adjacent to the cylinder, a shoe-carrying lever mounted upon the auxiliary rock shaft adjacent to the track, a sweep supported for rotation upon the axis of the tank, a gravity roller carried by the sweep engaging and overlapping the track to engage the shoe carrying lever, and inlet and outlet ports connected with the cylinder, the latter ports being also connected with the tank.

5. In an air compressing device, a circular track, a cylinder supported adjacent to the track and provided with valved inlet and outlet ports, oppositely movable pairs of pistons in the cylinder, piston rods extending through the heads of the cylinder, cross heads upon the piston rods, a rock shaft supported adjacent to the cylinder and radially with reference to the track, cranks upon said rock shaft, links connecting the cranks with the cross heads, an. auxiliary rock shaft extending transversely beneath the cylinder, means for transmitting oscillatory motion from the auxiliary rock shaft to t-he rockshaft supported adjacent to the cylinder, a shoe carrying lever upon the rock shaft auxiliary, and a roller arranged to travel upon the track, said roller overlapping the track to engage the shoe carrying lever.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM WRIGHT. Witnesses:

JOHN BIvENs, DAVE HOSKETT. 

